Making The Most of Your Travel Dollar in California
Change-Diapers expects to be compensated for sharing this information with you. Year after year, California is one of the most visited states in the nation. Its natural scenery and entertainment options are hard to beat for both singles and families.
Just the same, although it is nice to travel to see places, being able to save money on your travel budget means that you are able to spend more money elsewhere or extend your trip. In most cases, the easiest way to save money on a trip to California is to travel when others aren’t. If you visit during the off-season, you will find discounts on hotels, restaurants, and transportation that are not offered at other times during the year.
Here are some other tips for making the most of your travel dollar in California:
A lower cost, central location: If you want to visit Malibu and Beverly Hills and Hollywood, you don’t necessarily have to stay there in order to be able to get there and enjoy those places within minutes. The changes in Los Angeles over the last decade include more safety in neighborhoods that didn’t used to be as safe, making for more affordable hotels in Los Angeles that are both safe and conveniently located. Long Beach is also a gentrifying city as are other coastal communities that are lesser known than their famous counterparts. The best way to find a centrally located affordable hotel is to use an expert travel site like Hipmunk that provides in-depth information and cost comparisons for the entire region. When you view those numbers and amenities, your choice will likely become clear quickly.
Eat out less often: One thing nice about vacations is trying new restaurants. Interestingly enough, during the last economic downturn, visitors to California and Mexico tended to spend more money in grocery stores, as if location were everything and eating out did not have to happen as often. Although the economy has picked up steam again, the concept still works for families and couples on a budget. Most hotel rooms have a mini fridge or kitchenette that can be used to prepare meals. If you eat out once a day instead of three times a day, you should save significantly. Another option is to look for hotels that include breakfast as part of the nightly rate.
Travel with friends: If your family or your partner is interested in spending time together with other people on vacation like you do when you go camping or hiking, why not extend that concept to a trip to California? By doing so, a larger group should have more clout when they are booking hotel rooms and you can qualify for different types of vacation housing that may be less expensive overall when you factor the total costs of renting in. At the same time, sharing meals and transportation will lower both types of cost as well.
California is one destination that most people try and reach at least once in their life. By looking at the time of year that you are traveling and using strategies that maximize your budget, you can have a great time for less money.
This article was written and provided by Fiona Moriarty of Hipmunk, the ultimate platform for all your travel needs.